Apparatus for applying filamentary strands to elongated articles



Nov. 22, 1949 T. T. BUNCH APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FILAMENTARY S TRANDS TO ELONGATED ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1947 lNl/ENTOR I I BUNCH A T TORNEV Nov. 22, 1949 T. T. BUNCH 2,483,579

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FILAMENTARY STRANDS TO ELONGATED ARTICLES Filed July 25, 1947 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 VEN TOR BUNCH A TTORNEY Nov.22, 1949 T. T. BUNCH APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FILAMENTA RY STRANDS TO ELONGATED ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 23, 1947 INVEN TOR r I BUNCH BY A TTORNEV Patented Nov. 22, 1949 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FILAMENTAR STRANDS T ELONGATED ARTICLES Tillman T. Bunch, Towson, Md., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 23, 1947, Serial No. 762,934

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for applying filamentary strands to elongated articles, and more particularly relates to apparatus for guidin elongated articles and applying filamentary strands to the articles.

In applying filamentary strands to elongated articles,such as, for example, by serving or braiding, it is essential to hold the elongated article in substantially centralized position with respect to apparatus for applying the filamentary strands as the article is advanced through the apparatus so that the strands are applied uniformly to the article and to prevent breaking the strands. Hence, the articles must be guided asv they are advanced to the apparatus to hold them in such oriented position. In the past, there has been no apparatus for both properly holding elongated articles in oriented positions with respect to the strand-applying apparatus and for permitting defective, spliced and knotted portions of the articles to be advanced through the apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for applying filamentary strands to elongated articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for holding elongated articles in oriented positions as the articles are advanced through a strand-applying apparatus and to permit defective, spliced and knotted portions of the articles to pass therethrough without breaking the articles.

An apparatus illustrative of certain features of the invention includes,means for applying filamentary strands to an elongated article as the article is continuously advanced therepast, means for guiding the article through the strandapplying means and means for permitting the article-guiding means to expand when an oversize portion of the article is advanced therethrough.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of an apparatus forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, vertical section of an apparatus illustrative of certain features of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, horizontal section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, horizontal section Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, vertical section of a portion of the apparatus.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein an apparatus for serving strands Iii-l0 upon a dual conductor l2 as the conductor is advanced continuously through the apparatus by suitable means, such as a capstan (not shown). The dual conductor l2 includes a pair of conductive cores I l-I4 (Fig. 2) enclosed in an insulating coverin l6, which is oblong in cross-section. The dual conductor I2 is advanced upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, through a serving head l8, and, as it is so advanced, a lower guide 20 and an upper guide 22 hold the conductor in axial alignment with respect to the serving head Ill. The guides 20 and 22 hold the portion of the conductor between the two guides against lateral defiection as the strands Ill-l0 are served upon the conductor at points between the guides. Pins 23-23, which are directed upwardly and outwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, serve to guide the strands Ill-l0 to the conductor l2. Pins similar to the pins 23-23, but which are directed parallel to the axis of rotation of the serving head may be used in place of the pins 23-23, if desired.

The serving head 18 is rotated around a stationary post 24 supporting a lower guide 20, and is spaced from the lower guide 20 by needle bearings 26-26. The lower guide 20 includes a sleeve 28 having a tapped bore 30 therein, which is threaded onto a threaded portion 32 of the post 24. The sleeve 28 is provided with a counterbore 34, the upper end of which, as viewed in Fig. 1, is tapped. A threaded portion 36 of a split collar 38 is threaded into the tapped portion of the counterbore 34.

Guide sections 40 and 42 are urged downwardly by a compression spring 44 seating on rounded shoulders 46-46 formed on the guide sections and the end of the threaded portion 36' of the collar 38, whereby cam surfaces 48-43 formed on the guide sections are held in engagement with a complementary, frustoconical cam surface 50 formed on the collar 38. The guide sections 40 and 42 are normally held in engagement with each other by the action of the compression spring 44 and the cam surfaces 48-48 and 50. The guide sections 40 and 42 are provided with generally semi-elliptical grooves 52-52, which, when the guide sections are together, form apassage 54, the major portion of which is of the same cross-section as that of the dual conductor 12.

The guide sections are provided with bellmouth entrance portions 56-56 to the passage 54 and greatly enlarged grooves 5l5'|. When an oversize portion of the dual conductor 12 enters the bellmouthed entrance portions 55-56 of the passage in the guide sections 48 and 42, the oversize portion of the conductor forces guide sections 48 and 42 upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, against the action of the compression spring 44, and also moves the guide sections 48' and 42 apart as the cam surfaces 48-48 move upwardly with respect to the cam surface 58 so that the space between the two guide sections '48 and 42 is greatly enlarged. Hence, the oversize portion of the conductor may pass freely between the guide sections 48 and 42 without breaking or getting jammed.

The upper guide 22 includes a serving center 62 secured to a support 64 by nuts 66 and'iB threaded onto the serving center 62 on opposite sides of the support 64, and the center 62 is provided with a bore 18. A compression spring 18 seated between a pair of guide sections 80 and-82 and the nut 66 urges the guide sections 88 and 82 downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, in the serving center 62 against a frustoconical cam surface 84 formed. on the entrance end of the center, and the cam surface 84 serves to urge the lower ends of the guide sections 88 and 82 together. The guide sections 88 and 82 are provided with enlarged hollowed out portions 86-86 and grooves 88-88, which form a flattened ellipse in crosssection to form a passage complementary to the shape of the conductor 12. The guide sections 80 and 82 fit snugly around the strands Ill-48 served upon the dual conductor I2 as the covered conductor is advanced upwardly through the guide 22, thereby centering the conductor 12 with respect to the serving head I8 at the point of application of the strands 18-18 to the conductor [2.

The guide sections 88 and 82 are provided with entrance bellmouth portions 98-88, and when an oversize portion of the covered conductor 52 enters the bellmouth entrance portions 88-88, the guide sections 88 and 82 are carried upwardly against the action of the spring 78, and, as they are moved upwardly, the oversize portion of the conductor 12 moves the lower ends of these guide sections apart, the upward movement of the guide sections 80 and 82 with respect to the cam surfaces 84--84 of the center 82 permitting such movement of the guide sections. Rocker portions 94--94 formed on the guide sections 88 and 82 permit pivotal movement of these sections in the center 62. Thus, the guide sections 88 and 82 expand to permit the oversize portions of the covered conductor to pass through the guide 22 without being caught and broken therein.

The guide sections 48 and 42 are restrained from rotation in the sleeve 28 and the collar 38 only by friction between the cam surfaces 48-48 and the cam surface 58 on the collar 38. Hence, when an oversize portion of the conductor has just been advanced through the guide 28 and the cam surfaces 48-48 on the sections 48 and 42 lifted substantially completely out of contact with the frustoconical cam surface 58 on the collar 38, the guide sections may rotate to orient themselves with respect to the noncylindrical dual conductor 12 so that they may close thereon. Similarly, the guide sections 88 and 82 may rotate in the serving center 62 to orient themselves automatically and close upon the non-cylindrical conductor after an oversize portion of the conductor has been advanced therebetween.

In the operation of the apparatus described hereinabove, the conductor I2 is advanced continuously through the guides 28 and 22, which normally hold the portion of the conductor between the guide sections" 88 and 82 and the sections 48: and 42 in an aligned position with respect to the serving head l8. When an oversize portion of the conductor I2 is advanced through the apparatus, it expands the upper ends of th guide sections 48 and 42, so that it may be freely moved therebetween, and then pushes apart the lower ends of the guide sections 88 and 82 so that it may move therebetween without damage thereto. The guide sections 48 and 42 and 88 and 82 rotate freely when they are separated so that they move freely to positions in which they can close on the conductor. Hence, under normal operating conditions, the apparatus centers the conductor 42 perfectly, and, in abnormal conditions, such as when splices or knots in the conductor [2 are advanced through the apparatus, damage to the conductor and to the apparatus is prevented.

The above-described apparatus serves to keep the conductor l2 centered during all normal operating conditions of the apparatus and permits oversize portions of the conductor (2 to pass through the apparatus without the necessity of stopping the apparatus and restringing it, as would be necessary if the apparatus would not permit splices and knots in the conductor, l2 to be advanced therethrough. The above-described apparatus may be adapted to center cylindrical conductors by making the passages in the guide sections 48 and 42 and 88 and 82 cylindrical. Apparatus embodying this invention is highly efficacious in centering conductors in other types of strand-applying apparatus, such as braiders and knitting machines.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for applying filamentary strands to an elongated article, which comprises means rotatable around a predetermined axis along which an elongated article is advanced in a predetermined direction for applying at a predetermined point on said axis filamentary strands to the article as it is advanced along said axis, an expansible guide mounted on one side of said point, and a second expansible guide mounted on the other side of said point, said guides serving to center normal size portions of said article at said point and to permit oversize portions of said article to be advanced therethrough.

2. An apparatus for applying filamentary strands to an elongated article, which comprises means rotatable about a predetermined axis for applying at a predetermined point on said axis a plurality of iilamentary strands to an elongated article advanced continuously in a predetermined direction along said axis, a tubular holder mounted at axial alignment with said axis and provided with a frustoconical end portion flaring outwardly in the direction in which the article is advanced, a pair of elongated guide sections, each of said guide sections being provided with a groove therethrough tapering from a predetermined size at one end thereof to a substantially larger size at the opposite end thereof and also having a cam surface formed thereon, and means for-urging the guide sections in a direction opposite to that which the article is advanced to urge the camming surfaoesthereon into engagement with the frustoconical end. portion of the holder, whereby portions of the guide sections at the smaller end of the grooves are urged closely around the article.

3. An apparatus for applying filamentary strands to an elongated article, which comprises means rotatable about a predetermined axis for applying at a predetermined point on said axis a plurality of filamentary strands to an elongated article advanced continuously in a predetermined direction along said axis, a tubular holder mounted in axial alignment with said axis and provided with a frustoconical end portion flaring outwardly in the direction in which the article is advanced, an elongated separable guide provided with a guide passage in one end thereof and also having cam surfaces formed thereon, and means for urging the guide in a direction opposite to that which the article is advanced to urge the camming surfaces of the guide into engagement with the frustoconical end portion of the holder, whereby the guide is urged closely around the article, said separable guide being provided with rocker portions at the end thereof opposite to that in which the passage is formed for pivotally engaging the inner wall of the holder and also being provided with a tapered entrance portion to the passage therethrough so that, as an oversize portion of the article engages the tapered entrance portion of the passage in the guide, the guide is carried with the article and is opened.

4. In an apparatus for applying filamentary strands to an elongated article including strand applying means rotatable about a predetermined 6 axis along which an elongated oblong article is advanced continuously, an article-centering guide comprising a tube having a cam surface formed therein and positioned axially with respect to the strand-applying means, a plurality of tapered guide sections mounted slidably in the tube, means for urging the guide sections in a direction opposite to that in which the article is advanced to urge the guide sections into contact with the cam surface on the tube and to urge portions of the guide sections into close fitting engagement with the article, said guide sections being provided with an oblong passage complementary to the article and having a tapered entrance portion so that the guide sections are carried axially with the article and are moved apart by an oversize portion of the article so that that portion of the article may pass between the guide sections, said guide sections being rotatably mounted in the tube so that they are free to adapt themselves to the oblong article.

TILLMAN T. BUNCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,489,820 Cook et a1. Apr. 8, 1924 1,788,641 Sunderland Jan. 13, 1931 1,864,162 Zettek June 21, 1932 1,887,837 Frank Nov. 15, 1932 

